Carbon dioxide emissions in Spain 2000-2019
Greenhouse emissions in Spain
Spain has been particularly successful in reducing carbon emissions produced as a result of energy generation. Nonetheless, the energy sector is still responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions, but the country has managed to cut them down to approximately 244 million tons of CO2 equivalent in 2016, from a record high of nearly 344 million tons in 2005. Moreover, emissions from fuel combustion in manufacturing industries and construction saw an impressive 30-million-ton decrease, standing at approximately 41 million tons in 2016. Agriculture is also a source of greenhouse emissions, and although not as remarkable as with manufacturing and construction industries, the sector reduced around 4 million tons of CO2 equivalent with 34.4 million tons in 2016.
Spain’s attitude towards the environment
According to the latest surveys, Spaniards believe climate change and air pollution to be the most concerning environmental issues the country is currently facing. Environmental awareness is of utmost importance to fight climate change, since it helps understand why we need to protect and preserve the natural world in our everyday life. Awareness campaigns prompt the population to do their bit to protect the environment, for instance, by recycling household waste. However, Spain’s waste recycling habits haven’t really been improving over the last years and the recycling rate of municipal rate in the country stood at 33.5 percent in 2017.